title: Salt loading and potassium supplementation: effects on ambulatory arterial stiffness index and endothelin-1 levels in normotensive and mild hypertensive patients.
abstract: The authors investigated effects of excessive salt intake and potassium supplementation on ambulatory arterial stiffness index (AASI) and endothelin-1 (ET-1) in salt-sensitive and non-salt-sensitive individuals. AASI and symmetric AASI (s-AASI) were used as indicators of arterial stiffness. Plasma ET-1 levels were used as an index of endothelial function. Chronic salt-loading and potassium supplementation were studied in 155 normotensive to mild hypertensive patients from rural northern China. After 3 days of baseline investigation, participants were maintained sequentially for 7 days each on diets of low salt (51.3 mmol/d), high salt (307.7 mmol/d), and high salt+potassium (60 mmol/d). Ambulatory 24-hour blood pressure (BP) and plasma ET-1 were measured at baseline and on the last 2 days of each intervention. High-salt intervention significantly increased BP, AASI, s-AASI (all P<.001); potassium supplementation reversed increased plasma ET-1 levels. High-salt-induced changes in BP, s-AASI, and plasma ET-1 were greater in salt-sensitive individuals. Potassium supplementation decreased systolic BP and ET-1 to a significantly greater extent in salt-sensitive vs non-salt-sensitive individuals (P<.001). Significant correlations were identified between s-AASI and ET-1 change ratios in response to both high-salt intervention and potassium supplementation (P<.001). Reducing dietary salt and increasing daily potassium improves arterial compliance and ameliorates endothelial dysfunction.
authors.affiliation: Cardio-Cerebrovascular Control and Research Center, Institute of Basic Medicine, Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Zhendong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Fanghong
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Yingxin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Shujian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Shangwen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yutao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Diao
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D018660:Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D019332:Endothelin-1 / Q000097:blood*; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011188:Potassium / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D059289:Vascular Stiffness / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D019332:Endothelin-1; D012965:Sodium Chloride; D011188:Potassium